The silver lining for Toronto FC is that it meets the Houston Dynamo at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon instead of south Texas, where the Dynamo hasn't lost in close to two years.

After coming back to knock off the Chicago Fire at the club's fortress of a stadium last week, the Dynamo broke the all-time MLS record for most consecutive games unbeaten at home (35).

"It's incredible," TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said of Houston's unbeaten run at BBVA Compass Stadium. "I don't think it will ever be beaten. It's an amazing stat. I think we play in Houston in the middle of summer so maybe it would have been better to get them now at their place."

For the time being, though, the Reds will have to contend with last year's MLS Cup finalists in their own backyard, where they've built up a bit of a fortress of their own.

Toronto has collected five of its six total points at BMO Field through the early portion of the season, with solid results against Sporting Kansas City, the L.A. Galaxy and FC Dallas in succession.

"It's our home turf, obviously, so we expect to win," Nelsen said at the club's training ground Friday afternoon. "We want to stay unbeaten and we want to get a run at BMO Field going."

The Reds will have to do it without the services of three first-team defenders.

While a pair of hamstring strains has Richard Eckersley and Darel Russell firmly planted on the team's treatment table, starting left fullback Ashtone Morgan will be forced to miss Saturday's match due to the contentious red card he received in Philadelphia last week.

The aforementioned absences will force Nelsen to issue start(s) to one or more defenders who've taken a backseat through the early part of the season.

"To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter who puts on the Toronto shirt and who plays on Saturday," Nelsen said, not wanting to show his hand. "(My players) know what's expected of them and they know the standards they've got to adhere to."

On Friday, Nelsen mentioned Logan Emory, who's coming off off-season shoulder surgery, as a possibility at the back, along with Doneil Henry, who hasn't seen action through any of Toronto's first six regular-season fixtures.

After performing admirably in place of Russell in Philly last week, utility defender Ryan Richter looks likeliest to be in Nelsen's starting XI alongside a centre pairing of Darren O'Dea and Gale Agbossoumonde.

"(Houston's) one of the teams every MLS team should look at," O'Dea said after assuring reporters he's comfortable with the depth Nelsen's introduced in defence this season.

"The worst (Houston) will ever be is hard-working," O'Dea continued. "That should be any club's minimum standard. They're a very good team but we know a lot about them. Hopefully we can get at them a little bit at home."

Nelsen danced around the question Friday, but TFC's next two weeks could prove crucial in terms of the MLS table. Toronto's MLS schedule has been front-loaded with home dates, meaning the Reds will hit the road following games at BMO Field against Houston and New York next week.

Toronto begins next month with a game in Colorado, the start of a rather lengthy travel schedule that will see them play six of eight -- including a Cup game in Montreal -- on the road.

"It's a long season," Nelsen said in downplaying the importance of the next two weeks. "There are going to be players coming in. In this league you can go for a run of three or four games and it changes the whole face of the table. We want to keep grinding away and keep getting as many points as we can."

The Reds will likely catch a small break with Houston's Oscar Boniek Garcia, one of the most dynamic midfielders in MLS, just returning from an Achilles injury.

As a result, the Honduran international's participation on Saturday, if any, will likely be in a diminished role.

For Nelsen, though, that just means another member of Houston's deep roster will step up.

"I think they've got 16 very strong, experienced MLS players," Nelsen said. "No superstars, they're just a well-oiled machine. They're just really solid and just grind it out. They're very good at set pieces and they work for each other. There are no egos."

In short, it's the club model Nelsen himself is hoping to build at BMO Field.

LARSON KICKOFF -- HOUSTON (12 points) @ TFC (6 points) -- 4ET ON TSN

MARQUEE MATCHUP

Robert Earnshaw vs. Bobby Boswell

It's the league leader in goals against one of Major League Soccer's most consistent centre backs. Toronto's Welsh striker has scored three goals in three home games this season and will be looking to keep his remarkable, Danny Koevermans-like scoring streak alive. He'll have to do it, though, against one of the most consistent back fours of the last few seasons.

Coming into 2013, fans and media didn't think it was possible to replace Koevermans' output. But adding a sixth goal to his total on Saturday will inch Earnshaw closer to the man previously deemed the greatest scorer in the club's short history.

TFC looking for three points over Houston on 'home turf'

While admiring well-built Dynamo, Nelsen expects maximum points

The silver lining for Toronto FC is that it meets the Houston Dynamo at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon instead of south Texas, where the Dynamo hasn't lost in close to two years.

After coming back to knock off the Chicago Fire at the club's fortress of a stadium last week, the Dynamo broke the all-time MLS record for most consecutive games unbeaten at home (35).

"It's incredible," TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said of Houston's unbeaten run at BBVA Compass Stadium. "I don't think it will ever be beaten. It's an amazing stat. I think we play in Houston in the middle of summer so maybe it would have been better to get them now at their place."